Spo-Reflections on Facebook

Since I am on topics that bewilder me, I might as well put my in two cents about Facebook. Why not? Everybody else is. I feel a bit sorry for Mr. Zuckerberg: everybody is saying the most negative things about him and his evil empire. I recently read an opinion column on CNN equivocating FB to the demise of real community, privacy, and everything else we hold dear.

I enjoy Facebook. I am grateful for it keeping me in touch with my many relatives and for reuniting me with lost friends. I am careful what I write: I don’t talk about work nor do I say anything nasty, nor do I drop my pants in photos for all to ‘like’ (or not).

I can’t imagine my FB account being held against me in a job search, unless the employer finds my interactions with various relations somehow unprofessional.

Somebody who blogs like Urs Truly isn’t too worried about total privacy. By being not ashamed of what I am and what I say on-line I don’t feel threatened or embarrassed.

On the flip side, I don’t play games, allow apps, or click on ads, so I don’t see how Mr. Zuckerberg is making any money off of me.

I think the main reason why people bristle at Mr. Z is he comes across as a smug youngster who is too rich too easy and without the usual ‘hard work’ the USA demands one to have to ‘deserve’ your fortune. I know enough history to smell a money sham. I sense FB will go the way of Tulip-mania, The South Sea bubble, Enron and Beanie Babies, to name a few.

Oh well. If Mr. Z is making something selling my alleged interests to ad-men this doesn’t feel to me like the end of the world. As a mild revenge I rather enjoy telling the ads they are uninteresting deceiving or offensive (my answer varies depending on the day).

Spo-Reflections 2006-2016

14 comments

I view Facebook as a tool that can be used or abused. I choose to use it as you do, keeping in touch with people I care about — family, colleagues both former and current, internet friends I generally first encountered through blogs. Blogging and Facebook have brought me together with people, many of whom I value deeply as essential in my life; in other words I have used these media to enliven, enrich and increase my community. As to privacy, one can control what one decides to reveal. I really don’t understand such blanket condemnation as CNN’s that you reference. Apparently such people deny that we have discretion or control over our own lives.

“And I don’t drop my pants in photos for all to ‘like’ (or not).” if I had a FB account (which I never will), you would get an automatic LIKE from me! but hell, you can already get that on your blog from your friends. SO DROP ‘EM ALREADY! 🙂

I like Zucker. I respect him and admire him. It makes me angry this week that people are getting on his case for not leaving a tip at a restaurant in Italy. But the fact is, the custom is to NOT tip in Italy because the gratuity is already added into the pricing scheme. Zucker did just like everybody else and not leave a tip, and now he’s catching flaming arrows for it. It’s not right.

Spo, I think you should try the pants-dropping thing on FB once or twice. Try it here first if you want to practice 🙂

I am very careful with FB because I do not want all manners of information distributed all over the internet. What I object to in FB and Mr. Z. is a certain arrogance and self-satisfied feeling. However is foray into the stock market may be is un-doing. In ten years time we will look back at the FB phenomenon like we look at bell bottom pants today.

People have such selected memories and are so short sighted. There were several social platforms before FB – remember MySpace and a few others? FB took things several levels higher and continues to evolve. Yes, they do have some questionable policies but which mega corp doesn’t?

FB is not the problem, it’s a symptom or at least a side affect. There is no single factor responsible for the decline of society and the increase in waistbands. Social media is one of the many areas in today’s life that evolve faster than society can keep up with legally and in rules of use – maybe someone should offer an online course broken down for kids, teens, parents and employees and employers.

Finally, unlike many other 1%’ers, Zuckerberg had given very generously to charity and continues to do so. So does openly gay co-founder Chris Hughes who is about to get gay-married.

Finally, someone who makes sense. I really get tired with people who are in fear of Facebook and losing their ‘privacy’ and ‘identity’. As a retired direct marketer, I can tell you, Facebook is the least of anyone’s’ worries. Bravo Spo!

Oh, Zuckerberg is probably a class A slimeball for sure. And I don’t do apps – even the b-day ones. I did, however, buy a biking t-shirt from an ad – the only ad I clicked on. Sorry, it’s a cool shirt.

I am very careful about FB. We have had people fired here for what they posted. I don’t think anyone reads or can find my blog, but I am careful what I say there too. For the most part my like is an open book anyway. My partner is constantly complaining that I don’t think before I open my mouth. That’s why I have never Tweeted.

So here is my two cents on Facebook. Like you I too like Facebook because it enables be to keep in touch with my younger relatives that I otherwise would have difficulty in doing so because I am so much older than they are. I mainly use Facebook to communicate with my relatives form our annual family reunion and notifying them of family events.
Also, like you I have a rather personal blog so I don’t have much to hide but I did have to step back a bit on my Facebook account a couple of years ago when the husband of one of my co-workers took great offense (he is a homophobe) of my posting of two men dancing a tango (ironically they were brothers and not gay). I have also gotten into some rather nasty political arguments and lost friends and relatives because I dared to state my view. I post nothing now to Facebook except family matters.
I too do not play games (I don’t have the time or interest) or any of the other nonsense that FB offers in order to track my likes and dislikes.
I do not like Mr. Zuckerberg because I see him for what he is, a smug, arrogant, greedy,unfeeling slime ball who developed a program to get back at a girlfriend who rejected him and who will do anything to further increase his wealth. I have nothing but contempt for him but I do recognize he has a natural talent. I don’t like Bill Gates either for the same reason. However, I have all the respect in the world for Steve Jobs, even though I hear he was a real bastard to work for. But at least he produced a product that made my life easier. Facebook keeps changing things to further their bottom line. I have fallen behind on how to use Facebook because I refuse to “like” and do all the other things they want me to do to increase their ad revenue.
I don’t think Facebook will ever go away, it will find it’s niche but Facebook will never be another Apple with a $600 stock price. They’ll be lucky if they can keep their stock price above $10.00 and Zuckerberg will be laughing all the way to the bank. Me feel sorry for Zuckerberg? Never in a million years. People like him have no soul.